A Note from the Exeter Wildlife Conservation Club

Nowadays, it has become fashionable to speak of protecting the environment. Every day, scientists find new ways of conserving fuel, saving electricity, and cutting back on our oh-so-precious fossil fuels. So what are we forgetting? We are that we share the world with creatures besides us. Our mindset as a society is so aggressively self-centered that often we forget about those living around us. Let us at Exeter prove that out of sight, does not mean out of mind.We are blessed with seven species of sea turtle, six of which can be found in American waters. These are the Leatherback, Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Kemp’s Ridley. The last is the Flatback, which is only found in Australian waters. The green sea turtle can grow up to three feet and weigh up to 350 pounds. It is the second largest of all sea turtle species just behind the loggerhead, but it is the only herbivore. While other turtle species will eat fish and crabs, the adult green sea turtle only feeds on sea grass, algae and other such marine plants. Juvenile and baby green sea turtles have been known to feed on snails and small marine life, but they become purely vegetarian as they mature. Being herbivores is thought to give them their distinctively green fat for which they are named.The green sea turtles’ life span in the wild is up to and including eighty years old. However, newly born sea turtles have a very high mortality rate and only about one out of every one thousand live to become adults. Baby green sea turtles are nearly helpless coming out of their eggs and are thus easy prey for birds and other predators.The larger problem, however, is the effects that humans have on sea turtles. Light pollution from housing developments and streetlights will block out the light from the moon and stars which the baby turtles will normally use for navigation. On top of that, nets which are invisible to fish can also trap these turtles (whether intentional or not) by the thousands every year. Around the world the shell, meat and oils from the green sea turtle are prized and considered delicacies. Lastly, pollution in the form of chemicals, plastics and just trash in general can all find their way into a turtles’ body. Chemicals, especially, have been linked with damaging the green sea turtles’ immune system and a specific disease named fibro papilloma (shortened to: FP) which is responsible for lesions, skin tumors and is affecting populations near Florida, the Caribbean and Australia. Currently, due to extreme habitat loss and damage, the green sea turtle is listed on the IUCN Red List which is just a hair away from being extinct in the wild.Currently, there are several organizations stressing the importance of eco-tourism in an effort to not only raise funds, but also raise awareness about these turtles as well. Bringing people in to see them will hopefully leave a longer-lasting impression than simply donating would.At this time, the Exeter Wildlife Conservation Club is working with a local species of turtle named the Red-Bellied Cooter. EWCC is helping raise young endangered turtles to maturity and raise awareness in the local community. Along with the local turtles, we are also raising awareness of global conservation issues through on campus activities and guest lectures. 